"I didn't know she was yours when I met her," Guiying said.
"I know," Fangfang said. "That's what makes it funny."
Arang stepped back to let them in without a word. The children were all visible — Yilin at the small table with a bowl, the others arranged around the room in various states of morning, the two year old still drowsy against Fangfang's side.
"He left last night," Arang said. "Around ten. Hasn't come back."
"Again?" Guiying said.
"Again," Arang confirmed.
Behind him Wei Ling exhaled. "I have to be honest," she said, her voice carrying the confidence of someone who had decided their opinion was the most important thing in the room, "I'm not sure what we're supposed to achieve here. The father keeps leaving, the children keep being left alone, we keep coming back. At what point do we acknowledge that some people simply aren't capable of change?"
Guo Sheng looked up from his phone long enough to nod.
